Dictionary

chutzpah en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• [ˈhʊts.pə]
• (US) audio
• /ˈxʊts.pə/
• [ˈχʊts.pə]

Etymology

Originated c. 1890–95 from Yiddish חוצפּה (khutspe), which was either borrowed via Medieval Hebrew or directly came from Aramaic חוּצְפָּא (ḥuṣpā, “audacity, boldness”), derived from חֲצַף (ḥăṣap̄, “to be impudent, arrogant”).

Meanings

1. (informal, uncountable, usually) Nearly arrogant courage; utter audacity, effrontery or impudence; supreme self-confidence; exaggerated self-opinion.
   • But seriously, the ability to just come out and put on a placard that the Jurassic era is temporally contiguous with the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt — well, there’s a word for that, and that word is chutzpah. 2007 December 11, John Scalzi, “Your Creation Museum Report”, in Whatever:
   • If the service is rotten and the meal a disaster, we should withhold a tip and explain why we are doing so. Few of us have the chutzpah to do this. 2007 January 22, Philip Howard, “Modern Manners”, in The Times:
   • Okay, okay, okay… First of all, “shutspah” is actually pronounced “khootspah”. But, but-but-but the idea, the idea that daily fantasy sites are using this law to claim they’re not gambling is not chutzpah, it’s khorseshit! 2015, Tim Carvell [et al.], “Daily Fantasy Sports”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 2, episode 34, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO:

Forms

Deriveds

chutzpadik

Relateds

cheek · immortal rind · cheekiness · cheeky

Synonyms

audacity · boldness · balls · insolence · gall · nerve · cheek

Translations (43)

fi kantti (nearly arrogant courage) · sv fräckhet (nearly arrogant courage) · ro tupeu (nearly arrogant courage) · is óskammfeilni (nearly arrogant courage) · eo aŭdaco (nearly arrogant courage) · es desfachatez (nearly arrogant courage) · sh дрчност (nearly arrogant courage) · sh дрскост (nearly arrogant courage) · sh drčnost (nearly arrogant courage) · ru на́глость (nearly arrogant courage) · ru ха́мство (nearly arrogant courage) · bg безсрамие (nearly arrogant courage) · pl kpina (nearly arrogant courage) · fr audace (nearly arrogant courage) · fr toupet (nearly arrogant courage) · pt atrevimento (nearly arrogant courage) · cs voprsklost (nearly arrogant courage) · nap cazzimma (nearly arrogant courage) · bg нахалство (nearly arrogant courage) · yi חוצפּה (nearly arrogant courage) · pt lata (nearly arrogant courage) · ru наха́льство (nearly arrogant courage) · cy ehofnder (nearly arrogant courage) · ru ху́цпа (nearly arrogant courage) · el μαγκιά (nearly arrogant courage) · nl gotspe (nearly arrogant courage) · uk ху́цпа (nearly arrogant courage) · ru де́рзость (nearly arrogant courage) · mk одважност (nearly arrogant courage) · it sfacciataggine (nearly arrogant courage) · pl bezczelność (nearly arrogant courage) · cs drzost (nearly arrogant courage) · hu hücpe (nearly arrogant courage) · ro țâfnă (nearly arrogant courage) · mk дрскост (nearly arrogant courage) · cs chucpe (nearly arrogant courage) · he חוצפה (nearly arrogant courage) · pl hucpa (nearly arrogant courage) · pt topete (nearly arrogant courage) · fr culot (nearly arrogant courage) · gl atrevemento (nearly arrogant courage) · de Chuzpe (nearly arrogant courage) · sh drskost (nearly arrogant courage)

wikipedia: Medieval Hebrew